17 News @ Sunrise 02/21/2024

Some of today's top storiesA bombshell announcement in the race for California's 20th Congressional District. Former President Donald Trump is endorsing Bakersfield Assemblyman Vince Fong. 17's Jenny Huh has more.The four candidates seeking to win the U.S. House of Representatives seat once filled by Kevin McCarthy will take to the debate stage tomorrow night in a bid to win your vote. The candidates will debate live in the KGET TV studios starting at 7 P-M. The debate will also be streamed live on KGET-dot-com and the KGET 17 News app. This is the first televised debate among the four candidates who qualified for the debate stage: Assemblymember Vince Fong, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, Marisa Wood and Andy Morales.Nikki Haley says she's not dropping out of the republican race for president any time soon. The former South Carolina governor spoke on the state of the race Tuesday. She made it clear that even though she significantly trails Trump in the polls... she intends to keep her campaign going. Speaking at her alma mater, clemson university, haley ripped into the former president... Calling him a - quote - "disaster" for the G-O-P and "more unstable and unhinged" than when he first ran. The latest Emerson College poll shows Trump leading by 23 points in Haley's home state. Experts say her strategy is to outlast the former president and his ongoing legal issues.Ventura County continuing to get hit hard by this latest storm.But, along with the rain, this funnel cloud was spotted spinning in the foothills around four o'clock yesterday afternoon.The national weather service says it did not make contact with the ground... and there was no damage.Two men have been charged with murder in the Kansas City Chiefs rally shooting. One of those men is 24-year-old Lyndell Mays. Mays told investigators that he was - quote - "just being stupid" when he got into a verbal argument with another person. Investigaots say that arugment escalated quickly... leading Mays to draw a handgun. Shortly after a shootout ensued. Mays has been charged with murder and other felony charges.Turning to a bizarre situation out of Virginia... involving a crash... a hospitalization... and an ambulance being stolen.It started when the suspect was one of five people involved in this dramatic crash involving a stolen car. The suspect -- identified as 32-year old Rickey Lowe -- survived the crash, left treatment in a hospital gown with an I-V still in his arm... and stole an ambulance. This photo from inside the ambulance was provided by police with a time-stamp of 8:45 Monday night. Authorities say the Lowe ditched the ambulance about 40 minutes later and fled on foot. And now, an urgent manhunt is underway.